


Sadness and Stars

by sartiebodyshots



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 06:35:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11098932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sartiebodyshots/pseuds/sartiebodyshots
Summary: August wonders about living in a hole in the ground.





	Sadness and Stars

“Hey, Veronica,” August asks.  It’s a late night, and she’s been sprawled on her back for hours, unable to sleep.  That’s happened more and more lately, which she blames on getting shot in the head twice.  Turns out that if you get shot in the head twice, you can blame an awful lot on that one event.  “So, you lived in a hole in the ground, right?”

“Yeah,” Veronica says, voice heavy with sleep.  “Hole in the ground.”

“So, like, did you never see stars before you started making supply runs?” August asks.  

She’s met people from Vaults before, even a few who lived their whole lives never knowing there was a world beyond the Vault.  It never seemed quite right, living underground forever.  The whole concept gives her the heebie jeebies.  

Veronica laughs in a smothered, sleepy way.  “I wasn’t born in a hole in the ground.  We just moved there after HELIOS One- the big battle.”

“Mmm,” August says.  That makes sense.  “Didja miss the stars when you did live in the hole?”

Veronica is quiet for a while, and August thinks she’s fallen back asleep.  That’s fine; they’ll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow.  And the day after.  And the day after.  It’s a long walk to the Mojave Outpost.  

“I was too sad to miss the stars,” Veronica finally says.

The sadness has wiped away the sleepiness, and on impulse, August reaches over to grab Veronica’s hand.  She likes the comfort of holding hands, and she hopes that Veronica will, too.  There’s something nice about Veronica’s calloused hand in hers; probably because there’s something about Veronica that makes August feel all kinds of silly things, in general.  

Veronica’s hand tenses in August’s for a moment, and August gets ready to pull away.  She doesn’t want to make her companion uncomfortable, after all, but then Veronica relaxes before squeezing tight.  

“Better now?” August asks.

“Maybe,” Veronica says softly, squeezing harder.  “Maybe.”

“You’re not alone, at least,” August says.  

Not that Veronica has ever particularly complained about being alone, but she has a lonely soul.  August isn’t the most perceptive person in the world, but she’s smart enough to see that.  And August knows what it is to grow up different; it makes lonely souls.  

Veronica makes a noise that nearly sounds like agreement.  


End file.
